The Art of Project Management, one of O'Reilly's "Theory in Practice" books details, as you may have guessed, Project Management. Berkun, a former Microsoft PM goes chapter by chapter on what makes a good project, no matter the size or style. He shares enough war stories and mixes it with enough ample doses of humor to keep the book completely readable.

While I am not a project manager, nor a manager, nor a project, I found the lessons in this book to be very applicable to my normal activities with respect to software engineering, both at work, and at home.

If you're going to be doing software engineering, especially if you're going to be leading others, then you may find a ton of use in this book. Berkun himself admits that you only have to read the chapters that are important to what you're doing (I read them all). Nevertheless, it's worth at least on read-through, and then as a handy reference while managing that project of yours. ( )

I love this book. It should be read by every person that works on a project team. Not just the project manager. It gives a wonderful overview of the entire project process without focusing on methodology. When a particular topic needs more in-depth coverage there are plenty of references for where to go. I particularly liked parts two and three ( Skills and Management ). They cover topics that anyone working on a project will find useful.

Whether you are managing a large programming project or a small non-technical project, this is an excellent book on project management. Although the author brings his experience as a project manager at Microsoft into the book, the lessons learned can be applied in virtually any situation in which you need to work with people to accomplish your goals. An excellent successor to "The Mythical Man-month." ( )

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The Art of Project Management covers it all--from practical methods for making sure work gets done right and on time, to the mindset that can make you a great leader motivating your team to do their best. Reading this was like reading the blueprint for how the best projects are managed at Microsoft... I wish we always put these lessons into action!" --Joe Belfiore, General Manager, E-home Division, Microsoft Corporation

"Berkun has written a fast paced, jargon-free and witty guide to what he wisely refers to as the 'art' of project management. It's a great introduction to the discipline. Seasoned and new managers will benefit from Berkun's perspectives." --Joe Mirza, Director, CNET Networks (Cnet.com)

"Most books with the words 'project management' in the title are dry tomes. If that's what you are expecting to hear from Berkun's book, you will be pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's about project management. But it's also about creativity, situational problem-solving, and leadership. If you're a team member, project manager, or even a non-technical stakeholder, Scott offers dozens of practical tools and techniques you can use, and questions you can ask, to ensure your projects succeed." --Bill Bliss, Senior VP of product and customer experience, expedia.com

In The Art of Project Management, you'll learn from a veteran manager of software and web development how to plan, manage, and lead projects. This personal account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the industry distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice. Inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, this is the book you and your team need to have within arms reach. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come.

Topics include:

How to make things happen Making good decisions Specifications and requirements Ideas and what to do with them How not to annoy people Leadership and trust The truth about making dates What to do when things go wrong